Elite Wheels Drive G45 Carbon Spoke Gravel Wheelset Review

The Drive G45 CS wheels from Elite Wheels may change what you thought you knew about wheels from a little known brand from China.  But these carbon gravel wheels punch way above their price-class, given the production value, high quality finish, and all in-house fabrication and build.  And the price will blow you away.

The wheel business is not one I’d normally consider full of opportunities, considering how many choices we consumers have to “hoopify” our rides.  Let’s be honest and call it a buyers’ market.

Click Play to watch me unbox these wheels, to see how they’re packed for overseas shipping, and a close-up view before I mounted the tires.

So any new brand wanting to roll into the wheel game had better offer something no one else has.  And these days, that’s getting harder and harder to find…

Elite uses a their own formula of carbon fiber called “UNI” – which is a blend of T800 and T1000 carbon fiber, mixed with their own resin, to create their own blend of carbon construction to reduce weight and increase rigidity. 

How to Make Better Wheels

And what that could be?  Better materials, better design, better production, better tech?Better price?

Since the carbon revolution levelled off a few years ago, pretty much everyone now has access to the same grades of carbon fibre.  So since we’re all working with the same materials, how to make them better?

For starters we know that wheel shapes and sizes are standardized.  Ie: round, and 700c for road & gravel.

Widths have finally evolved to where they make sense – wider internal widths have become the norm, and finally tire performance and bike handling have improved as a result.  Aerodynamic shaping of rims has become commonplace across the popular depths of 35mm, 45mm, and 60mm.

Resins are one area we see brands cooking up their own secret sauce, allowing for advances in weight reduction and increases in strength – so stronger and lighter is all-righter.  From the outside it’s hard to know how different these resins are across brands, but we do know that the results generally deliver what we’re all after – less weight and more strength.  Partial proof of this is that catastrophic carbon wheel failures are largely a thing of the past – by which I mean I just don’t hear about them like I used to.

Spoke counts are pretty standard, simply because a certain number are needed to secure wheel integrity and withstand the stresses of high performance cycling.  There are some differences out there, but basically we’re dealing with around 20-21 spokes front wheels, 20-24 spokes rear.  There used to be a lot more spokes in general, but advances in materials strength and designs have allowed a reduction in spoke counts that reduce weight, but maintain strength and rigidity.

So how has ELITE addressed all of the above to offer a wheel they think you’ll want?

Design

In case you haven’t heard of ELITE Wheels before, the Chinese company has over a decade of experience manufacturing carbon wheels and working with carbon fibre on other components making gear for many top brands.  They decided to take all their knowledge and launch their own brand, originally taking hold in Asia and Australia, and now moving into the market to North America.

They offer a pretty wide range of wheels for road, gravel mtb, and triathlon – all with a performance focus in mind.

The DRIVE G45 CS wheels are a gravel-specific, U-shaped, mid-depth, wide internal width carbon wheel, built with carbon fiber spokes (that’s the “CS” in the name), that are 45mm deep (in the name again!)

The 45mm depth and glossy finish is just that, deep, cool, sexy even.  This depth has become fairly standard for gravel because it’s the right size for optimal strength/ weight combo for good reason – it works and works well.

Finishing quality is excellent. My pre-tire-mount inspection confirmed tape application was top notch, with no gaps or blemishes.  Internal width is 24mm – The 40mm Pirelli tires I’ve been running fit nicely here, but there’s room to go wider.

Proof these are a lightweight gravel wheelset – the front wheel weight is 640 grams…

The rear wheel weighed in at 751 grams…

Spokes are high tensile carbon fibre – a tad lighter than aluminum, and stronger – Elite claims the wheels are 7% stiffer with these spokes vs the same with steel spokes.  These run 20 spokes front, and 20 spokes in the rear.

Elite’s hubs feature ceramic bearings, and the rear uses a 4 pawl engagement for the freehub.

The Kicker – $1269 USD for Carbon Wheels That Deliver

Carbon road wheels can range anywhere from $500 to over $4000. And yes, there’s often truth to the idea that a higher price reflects better quality—but let’s be honest: most of us can’t tell the difference.

Why?

• We don’t work in the factories.

• We don’t have the time (or budget) to run multiple wheels over identical test tracks with the same tire, pressure, and riding conditions.

• We’re human—and interpreting subtle performance differences without bias is nearly impossible.

So, when the design, materials, and manufacturing quality are similar across brands, what are we really paying for?

Marketing. Branding. Perception.

Most of us are choosing based on brand recognition, not measurable differences. Big Western brands invest heavily in marketing—and that cost is baked into the retail price. It creates the perception of superiority, even when many of these wheels are made in the same factories as lesser-known Asian brands.

And that brings us to Elite Wheels.

You may not have heard of them—and that’s because they don’t market like the big players. But don’t let that fool you. These wheels offer impressive tech, quality, and performance for just $1269 USD—a price that punches well above its weight.

What stands out most?
How much real value you’re getting—without paying for the name on the decal.

First Impressions

I’ve unboxed a lot of wheelsets in the past couple of decades, and there’s a certain way to pack them for long distance transport to arrive safely at the destination.  Watch my Youtube video to see for yourself how they are packed for shipping.

Elite checks all the boxes in the safe shipping department- two wheels share a box, individually wrapped in foam packing liners, no shifting around or internal movement, and also attention paid to eliminating waste by not using too much packing material.

The wheels look great coming out of the box, no matter how many times I do this, I still get a little buzz when the big reveal finally happens.

Also in the box are extra spokes, and warranty cards.

Finish quality is excellent, beautiful high gloss surface and QC looks very good.

Key Features and Specifications

After many emails, prompt and attentive follow-up from their side, one 45 minute video with 4 of Elite’s staff, including a product manager and engineer on the call, I had a strong feeling the people working for Elite take a lot of pride in their work.

They’ve designed and built every piece of most of their wheels (although some sets are spec’s with aftermarket parts like DT Swiss spokes – generally considered the best in class.)

The upside with the carbon spoke design, is that the high tensile strength of the spokes allows them to use 20 spokes (vs 21 on many brands) while increasing stiffness.  Fewer spokes also means less weight (even if it’s just a few grams).

The 45mm depth also means spokes can be slightly shorter than 35mm deep wheels, which pretty much means higher stiffness as well.

The growth of gravel riding has led to a few developments that have also influenced road designs – in this case its wider rim widths.   

Apart from the basic structural advantages of a wider rim (more strength), this design (which has only gained popular support in the past 2-3 years) also allows for better application and performance of wider tires.

As we’ve talked about before, the wider internal width allows the tire to sit more securely into the rim bed, while also allowing for a more natural profile shape of the tire to do its job of better road grip, improved traction and overall handling and being less susceptible to flats and other stress related damage.

Ride Impressions

Wheels these days are generally so good, that our expectations are naturally high, and unless a wheelset is really off for some reason, I’m generally going to have a good experience.  I also note that given the varying tire pressures and terrain styles we ride gravel wheels on, much of the actual wheel feedback gets lost in translation.

Overall I’ve found these to be a stiff, responsive, surprisingly fast gravel wheelset. These wheels replaced a set of CADEX AR36 wheels I’ve been running on my Look 765 test bike (which cost 3 x more), and the only discernible difference for me is that the Elite free hub is a lot quieter.  This may be nitpicking – but the freehub sound is just right – not too loud, not too quiet.  And for guys like me, Elite even has a page on their website where you can listen to the hub spin.  And that’s pretty much how it sounds.

I even won a coasting drag race against a buddy the other day, which I chalked up to the general aearo-shape of the rims, and the low friction ceramic bearings in the hubs.

To sum up what stands out for me:

Attention: the ELITE Wheels Summer sale is on now until Jun. 30, 2025 – with discounts on All wheels offering $69 off $599, Get $159 off $799, Get $239 off $1099

BONUS SALE for PEZ Readers: Find more info, order Drive G45 CS wheels online and SAVE 20% if you use the code “PEZ15”.

PEZ receives a small commission on all sales of DRIVE G45 CS wheels purchased through the link, which will be used to help keep PEZ running.

Sum It All Up

The EliteWheels Drive G45 CS gravel wheelset delivers an impressive combination of light weight, stiffness, and responsiveness that’s hard to beat at this price point. With carbon spokes, ceramic bearings, and a 1,300g weight, they feel race-ready yet robust enough for any gravel adventures.

At $1269 USD, they easily hold their own against higher-priced competitors, offering serious value for riders who want pro-level tech without the luxury markup. If you’re thinking to upgrade your gravel setup with a wheelset that’s fast, efficient, and built with top-shelf features, the Drive G45 CS is more than worth a look.